IP Laws and Treaties

Nigeria: Intellectual Property Laws

ACTS AUTHENTICATION ACT
An Act to make provision for the authentication and recording of Acts of National Assembly.

ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE COMMISSION ACT
An Act to establish the Administration of Justice Commission with responsibility, among other things, for the general supervision of the administration of justice.

AGRICULTURAL CREDIT GUARANTEE SCHEME FUND ACT An Act to establish an Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Fund into which shall be subscribed a certain sum to provide guarantees for loans granted for agricultural purposes by any bank

AGRICULTURAL AND RURAL MANAGEMENT TRAINING INSTITUTE ACT
An Act to establish a training organisation known as the Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute to provide, among other things, detailed identification of management training needs in agricultural and rural development organisations throughout Nigeria, and to develop and implement training programmes to meet the needs of managers in the agricultural and rural development sector of the economy.

ALLOCATION OF REVENUE (FEDERATION ACCOUNT, ETC.) ACT
An Act to prescribe the basis for distribution of revenue accruing to the Federation Account between the Federal and State Governments and the Local Government Councils in the States; the formula for distribution amongst the Statesinter se; the proportion of the total revenue of each State to be contributed to the State Joint Local Government Account; and for other purposes connected therewith.

ARBITRATION AND CONCILIATION ACT An Act to provide a unified legal framework for the fair and efficient settlement of commercial disputes by arbitration and conciliation; and to make applicable the Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Arbitral Awards (New York Convention) to any award made in Nigeria or in any contracting State arising
out of international commercial arbitration.

ARCHITECTS (REGISTRATION, ETC.) ACT
An Act to provide for the registration of the profession of architects by the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria, and for all other matters connected with that profession.

ARMED FORCES ACT An Act to provide for the command, maintenance and administration of the Armed Forces of the Federation.

ARMED FORCES COMFORT FUND ACT
An Act to establish the Armed Forces Comfort Fund primarily for the provisions of comfort and relief to the members of the Armed Forces.

ARMED FORCES (DISCIPLINARY PROCEEDINGS) (SPECIAL PROVISIONS) ACT
An Act to enable the appropriate Council to take disciplinary proceedings against any person subject to military law irrespective of the institution or contemplation of criminal proceedings against him in any court on substantially the same grounds as those on which he is to be disciplined.

ASSOCIATED GAS RE-INJECTION ACT
An Act to compel every company producing oil and gas in Nigeria to submit preliminary programmes for gas re-injection and detailed plans for implementation of gas re-injection.

CURRENT GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICE FOR MEDICINAL PRODUCTS REGULATIONS 2009 (Draft Regulations) These regulations prescribe the minimum current good manufacturing practice requirements for methods to be used in, and the facilities and controls to be used for, the manufacture, processing, packing, or holding of a medicinal product for human or animal use, to ensure that such medicinal product meets the requirements of safety, and has the identity and strength and meets the quality and purity characteristics that it purports or is represented to possess.

NAFDAC GUIDANCE DOCUMENT FOR THE REGISTRATION OF BIOSIMILARS IN NIGERIA
This Guidance document is meant to clearly outline the registration requirements and/or process to effect the registration of biosimilars in Nigeria. It also elaborates on the policy decisions, regulatory approach and position on interchangeability and substitutability with the reference product.

GUIDELINES FOR PROVISION OF INTERNET SERVICE
Published pursuant to the Nigerian Communication Act 2003, these guidelines apply to all licensees providing Internet access services or any other Internet protocol based telecommunications services.

TRADEMARKS Act CAP T13 LFN 2004
An Act to repeal the Trade Marks Act and make new provisions with respect to trade marks in place thereof and for connected purposes.

MILK AND DAIRY PRODUCTS REGULATIONS 2005
As from the commencement of these Regulations no milk or dairy products shall be manufactured, imported, exported, advertised, sold or distributed in Nigeria, unless it has been registered in accordance with the provisions of these regulations. These Regulations may be cited as Milk and Dairy Product Regulations 2005.

NIGERIAN COMMUNICATIONS Act 2003
The primary object of this Act is to create and provide a regulatory framework for the Nigerian communications industry and all matters related thereto.

NIGERIAN NATIONAL POLICY FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT)
Information Technology (IT) is the bedrock for national survival and development in a rapidly changing global environment, and challenges us to devise bold and courageous initiatives to address a host of vital socio-economic issues such as reliable infrastructure, skilled human resources, open government and other essential issues of capacity building. In addition, an Information Technology policy built on reliable human resources and infrastructure constitutes the fundamental tool and means of assessing, planning, managing development change and for achieving sustainable growth. It is for this reason that every progressive country has a national IT policy and an implementation strategy to respond to the emerging global reality and thus avert becoming a victim of the digital divide. A developing nation like Nigeria, that aspires to participate effectively and become a key player in the emerging Information Age needs to have in place, a highly efficient Information Technology system driven by a vibrant national IT policy.

Code of Medical Ethics in Nigeria
This code seeks to enhance the image of the medical profession, increase the confidence of the public in the practitioners and offer protection to the conscientious practitioners.

Control of Advertisement (Federal Highways) Act
An Act to give the Minister charged with responsibility for highway matters power to make regulations by means of permits or otherwise and the imposition of prescribed charges for the display of advertisements on Federal highways.

Corporate Bodies (Members Emoluments) Act
An Act to make provisions for the remuneration of persons who are members of more than one statutory corporation, and for such purpose to effect amendments to various Acts establishing such corporations.

Criminal Code Act
An Act to establish a code of criminal law.Â The provisions of this Act take effect subject to the provisions of the Penal Code (Northern States) Federal Provisions Act.

Endangered Species (Control of International Trade and Traffic) Act
An Act to provide for the conservation and management of Nigeria's wild life and the protection of some of her endangered species in danger of extinction as a result of overâexploitation, as required under certain international treaties to which Nigeria is a signatory.

Factories Act
An Act to provide for the registration, etc., of factories; to provide for factory workers and a wider spectrum of workers and other professionals exposed to occupational hazards, but for whom no adequate provisions had been formerly made; to make adequate provisions regarding the safety of workers to which the Act applies and to impose penalties for any breach of its provisions.

Family Support Trust Fund Act Laws
An Act to establish the Family Support Trust Fund for the improvement of Family Health Care Delivery, the promotion of Family Economic Advancement, and for matters connected therein.

Federal Highways Act
An Act to vest the powers of management, direction and control of Federal highways throughout Nigeria in the Minister of Works and Housing, in respect of planning (including research and designing of Federal highways), the construction and maintenance, the supervision of users of such highways and the regulation of traffic thereon.

Federal Inland Revenue Service (Establishment) Act
An Act to provide for the establishment of the Federal Inland Revenue Service charged with powers of assessment, collection of, and accounting for revenues accruable to the Government of the Federation; and for related matters.

Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria
An Act to establish the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria which in addition to providing effective radio broadcasting services on a national scale, will also be responsible for providing external broadcasting services.

Fertilizer (Control) Act
An Act to provide for the control of the sale and distribution of fertilizer and for matters connected therewith.

Foreign Judgments (Reciprocal Enforcement) Act
An Act to make provision for the enforcement in Nigeria of judgments given in foreign countries which accord reciprocal treatment to judgments given in Nigeria, for facilitating the enforcement in foreign countries of judgments given in Nigeria, and for other purposes in connection with the matters aforesaid.

Fruit Juice and Nectar Regulations
The provisions of these Regulations shall be applicable to fruit juice and nectar products and the Regulations may be cited as Fruit Juice and Nectar Regulations, 2005.

Geneva Conventions Act
An Act to enable effect to be given in the Federal Republic of Nigeria to certain international conventions done at Geneva on the twelfth day of August, nineteen hundred and forty nine and for purposes connected therewith.

Hire Purchase Act
An Act to make provision with respect to hire-purchase and credit-sale transactions and advertisements relating thereto; and for purposes connected with the matters aforesaid.

Spirit Drinks Regulations 2005
These Regulations shall be cited as Spirit Drinks Regulations 2005. No person shall manufacture, import, export, advertise, sell or distribute spirit drink specified in schedule I to these Regulations in Nigeria unless it has been registered in accordance with the provision of these regulations.

Drug Products Advertisement Regulations
These Regulations apply to all advertisements or promotion of drug products (both single entity and compound) imported into Nigeria or locally manufactured, distributed or sold in Nigeria.

Evidence Act 2011
An Act to repeal the Evidence Act CAP. E14, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, and enact a new Evidence Act which shall apply to all judicial proceedings in or before courts in Nigeria; and other related matters.

FOOD FORTIFICATION WITH VITAMIN A REGULATIONS 2005
No person shall manufacture, import, export, advertise, sell distribute any food specified in the Second Schedule to these regulations, unless it is fortified with vitamin A as prescribed by the agency. These Regulations may be cited as Food Fortification with Vitamin A Regulations 2005.

Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)
The Patent Cooperation Treaty is administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization and it provides a unified procedure for filing patent applications in each of its contracting states.

Food Grade (Table or Cooking) Salt Regulations 2005
Any salt used as an ingredient of food for direct use by consumers, food manufacture or as a carrier of food additive shall, meet the standard requirement for food grade salt as set out in these regulations.

Guidelines for Warehouse Insepction
These Guidelines are for the interest of the General public and companies engaged in importation of animal feeds, feed additives, feed concentrates, feed supplements, premixes and fish meal.

NAFDAC Guidelines for Registration/Listing of Herbal Medicines and Related Products NAFDAC/RR/006/00
These guidelines do not apply to Extemporaneous preparations i.e. preparations that are made by the practitioner and given to the patient on a one-to-one basis within the locality of its preparation. The guidelines are for manufactured products that are intended for distribution outside the locality of production, i.e. to very wide areas through other outlets and for storage for a considerable long period of time.

NAFDAC Guidelines for Registration of Imported Food Products in Nigeria NAFDAC/RR/004/00
These guidelines are for the interest of the general public and in particular food industries in Nigeria. No food product shall be manufactured, imported, exported, advertised, sold or distributed in Nigeria unless it has been registered in accordance with the provisions of ACT CAP F33 LFN 2004 (formerly decree 19 of 1993) and the accompanying guidelines.

Bottled Water Registration Regulations
Every bottled water manufactured, imported, exported, advertised, sold or distributed in Nigeria shall be registered in accordance with the provisions of these Regulations.

Copyright (Levy on Materials) Order 2012
This Order may be cited as the Copyright (Levy on Materials) Order 2012 and it provides for the levy of materials used or capable of being used to infringe copyright in a work in line with the provisions of Section 40 of the Copyright Act, Cap C28 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

Copyright (Optical Discs Plants) Regulations, 2006
This Regulation provides for the Licensing and control of production, importation and exportation of optical discs, production parts, raw materials, or manufacturing equipment as well as control of Commercial optical discs duplication.

Cosmetics and Medical Devices (Advertisement) Regulations
These Regulations apply to all advertisements and promotion of cosmetics and medical devices (in these Regulations referred to individually as âthe productâ) (whether single entity or compound) imported into Nigeria or manufactured, distributed or sold in Nigeria.

Food Products (Advertisement) Regulations
The provisions of these Regulations shall apply to all advertisements of food products (both single entity or compound) imported into Nigeria or locally manufactured, distributed or sold in Nigeria.

NAFDAC Guidelines for Exportation of Regulated Products (General)
Regulation and control of Export trade on regulated products has been in NAFDAC mandate from inception, however, over the years, the emphasis has always been an imported regulation. It therefore becomes necessary for NAFDAC to create a public awareness on these economic loses in food export and to enlighten the exporters on the requirements to meet sanitary and Phytosanitary standards of international markets so that exports from Nigeria to EU and America will be accepted.

NAFDAC Guidelines for Pesticide Registration in Nigeria NAFDAC/RR/008/00
These guidelines are for the interest of the general public and in particular pesticide industries in Nigeria. No pesticide chemical product shall be manufactured, imported, advertised, offered for sale or distributed in Nigeria unless it has been registered in accordance with Pesticide Registration Regulations of 1996 and these guidelines.

Merchandise Marks Act
An Act to prohibit and criminalize the counterfeiting of registered trademarks by unauthorized persons and the importation and sale of counterfeit goods in Nigeria.

NAFDAC Guidelines for Registration of Imported Cosmetics NAFDAC/RR/001/00
These guidelines are for the interest of the general public, and in particular, cosmetics manufacturers and importers in Nigeria. No cosmetics products shall be manufactured,imported, exported, advertised, sold or distributed in Nigeria unless it has been registered in accordance with provisions of the Food, Drugs and Related Products (Registration Act) CAP F33 LFN 2004 (Formerly decree 19 of 1993).

NAFDAC Guidelines for the Establishment of Pharmaceutical Plants in Nigeria
These guidelines are for the general public and in particular industries that want to engage in pharmaceutical manufacturing. The guidelines also prescribe the minimum good manufacturing practice requirements for the facilities, controls to be used in the manufacture, processing and packing of products for human or animal use, to ensure that such medicinal products meet the requirements for safety, identity, strength, quality and purity characteristics.

The World Trade Organization (WTO), World Health Organization (WHO) and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) will on February 26, 2018, convene a symposium to discuss challenges and opportunities to ensure that innovative technologies are developed in order [...]